The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-11-18
ENOUH ARDEN ONCE MORE.
Strange Story From the Noun
tains of North Carolina.
CONFLICT BETWEEN LOVE
AND DUTY IN A HUMBLE
HOME.
The Appeal of a Lawyer to the
Honorable Court.


come to light here through Senator
Hope Elias, of Jackson county, the
most remote county of North Caro-
lima, aud in area as large as some
of the States in the Union. In 1861
q Stalwart m%Ountaineer Of jackson
county named HamIick, who up to
that time had managed to avoid the
war, brought a buxum vito with
him from Swain county into Jack.
son, aud made his hOme in Al quiet
cove in the Cherokee reservation.
The pair were devoted, and the wife
experienced all the delights of IA
thoroughly primitive exIstcnce.
Now there a q regiment of
CherokeeS III the Confederate ser
vice, and one day an officer OF this
regiment stumbled upon Hamrick
In the cove, conscripted him, and
hurried him to The front. His wife
next heard OF him with the COnfed.
crate army in northern Virginia.
She got one or two letters and mes
sages from him, and finally these
stopped. In 1864 the wife, to whom
u pair Of twins, IA boy and girl, had
been bOru, learned that her husband
had disappeared; that after his
name on the roll OF the company
was only the dreadful entry "miss-
Ing"
In 1866, when the war had ended,
tho wife received the intelligence
that her husband had deserted and
gone over to the enemy. Year at.
ter year passed, but she heard moth
ing OF him. Then wOOers caule, for
"uhe widow" as she was known,
was pretty and agreeable. One
patient lover named Bowers, after
having been rejected three times,
won, and be aud the widow
were married in 1876. He brought
his effects to his wite's home IN the
cove. For ten years the couple
lived happily together.
One bright June day a stranger
came to Bowers home in The cove.
The place was.-1ii most respects
like 1t -%%aass- IN 1868, for changes in
the mountain wiIds are made slow
". Bowers was not at home. The
wife was now \ buxOm woman of
forty, tar tidier than in appearance
aud With much more natural grace
and sprightliness of manner than
the average woman OF that section.
The stranger asked who lived there.
He was told "lhe Bowers family"
and IN a h%ospltable ann was
asked into the house, whore pres
emily came il to their mother two
children, one of six and the other
of nine years. At dinner time the
family received two more additions,
a young han and woman about
twenty-three years OF age aud ex.
ceedingly alike in face aud manner.
The stranger asked, "WhO are
these 7" ''They are Hamricks," was
the reply. "My children by my
first husband" the wife explained
further.
In half an hour the wife had
told her whole story aud the myS-
terry surrounding the disappearance
of her first husband. just as she
was concluding Bowers came IN
with a neighbOr. Explanations fol.
lowed aud tue stranger proved to be
the woman's first husband. He had
deserted; bad gone to the northwest
and from there fOated into Mexico
aud been amid such bardships that
he had not been able TO return, and
he owned that tor a long time he
had not desired TO return, but axn-
iety Jas to the fate of his wife and
remorse together had compelled
him to hunt her up. The neighbOrs
beard all this aud witnessed the
scene, or it is probable the whole
affair would have been lost to the
public. Hamrick, after his much
experience with the world, was
much brighter than his wife OF her
second husband. He knew that the
woman vas legally his wife. He
talked the matter over quietly with
Bowers. The woman BUSTED about,
much agitated. She said she had
a warm place in her heart for her
hrst husband, but she thought she
liked her second. ''Whatever you
all say | must do, that / will do,7
she said. 81 only want to do my
duty"
Hamrick agreed that twas bis
duty to go away, and after Que or
two days sojOurn with them be told
them goodbye and lett for the
northwest, telling them that he
would not come back again. The
wife cried when be lett, but she was
satisfied that she had done her duty.
In that Wild section the matter was
the subject of a little gossip around
disUillery fires of the mOuHtain fast
Aesses, aud then the matter died
out until a vende'sa recently caused
II to come Out ~ n new aud START
ling way Bowers aud one 0i his
neighbOrs had 4 falling uHt about 4
eiaerIFess. From words there were
sights and blOOdshed, but Bowers
aud bis faction were too strong for
the others. Tue defeated party
erept % TO the eonnty seat, and TO
the solicitor gave The iuformation
that Bowers was violating the Law
by living with = Oma whose hus-
band be was not legally. aud that
the Noman bad also violated the
NV IN committing bigamy. "Thsts
bow rm agoin' ter Eit ms revenge